“This building fool could only be Bess of Hardwicke, a woman whose name is seldom seen in print without the word “redoubtable” in front of it. I wondered if anyone ever called her redoubtable to her face. I redoubted it.”

“Ann Boleyn...a Renaissance Audrey Hepburn in a little black dress.”

“I believe God loves those moments when we do without him.”

“...by the time you've finished naming a thing, it has already changed and the name you gave it no longer defines it exactly...”

“I don't think anyone can give you advice when you've got a broken heart.”

“What if each child was taught from the cradle to sing the song of peace...would the cynics not call it foolish, saying that to be gentle is to be weak? But I tell you that until we are as innocent and pure as doves, our journey will be long and the way dark. Raise doves, not wolves.”

“I would like to be called an inspiration to people, not a role model - because I make mistakes like everybody else. When I'm offstage, I'm just like everybody else.”